


bad luck to talk on these rides

by wordsnnotes



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 5 Times, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aromantic, Asexual Character, Asexuality, Awkward Conversations, Best Friends, Cars, Developing Friendships, Enemies to Friends, Family Issues, First Meetings, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Platonic Relationships, Siblings, Smoking, conversations in cars, kind of, mentions of aphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:55:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28111257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsnnotes/pseuds/wordsnnotes
Summary: “So… how did you and Zayn meet exactly?”Louis turned to look at him, and Liam flinched under his somewhat cold stare.“What, Zayn hasn’t told you? I’m offended, I’ll have to have a word with him.”Liam genuinely couldn’t tell if Louis was joking or not. He squirmed a little under the pressure.“No, I mean, he did. Just thought it would be interesting to have your own perspective on it, I guess.”“Why? Are you conducting some kind of investigation? Want to know if our stories match up or something?”Liam nervously chuckled, keeping his eyes on the road.“What? No, of course not.”He shot a glance at Louis, who raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything else, as if waiting for Liam to explain.But what's there to explain?he thought, half panicking. He only wanted to be friendly, goddammit.Or: Liam just started dating Zayn and is desperate to make a good impression on Louis, his best friend. But things are off to an awkward start.
Relationships: Liam Payne & Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik & Liam Payne & Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik & Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Comments: 37
Kudos: 56
Collections: 5 Times 1D Fic Fest





	bad luck to talk on these rides

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> I've had this thing in my drafts for such a long time, and I'm so excited to finally be able to share it!  
> Thank you to my awesome beta [Helen](https://dearniall.tumblr.com/), as well as Nic and Lauren for organizing this fest. Don't hesitate to check out the other fics that were written for it ✨  
> Many thanks to the person who submitted the prompt as well, which was the following:  
>  _Person A always finds themselves in the position of taking Person B home, whether for ending up black-out drunk on a night out with their group of friends and unable to drive himself home or because Person B was working late into the night and was too tired and just considered sleeping in the office. Or the five times fic in which Person A takes Person B home and wonders when they will ever say the reasons why they never minds going the extra miles for Person B._  
>  I hope I did it justice 😌  
> The title is from [White Ferrari](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlz_XHeUUis) by Frank Ocean.

**1**

“I think he hates me,” Liam whispered as soon as Zayn joined him in the kitchen to help him deal with the ice cream.

“What makes you say that?” his boyfriend frowned, grabbing the spoon from his hand and making a much more proficient job at creating perfectly round scoops.

Liam gladly let him take over and leant against the counter, sighing.

“I don’t know, he’s just so… snarky. And defensive. It’s like he feels attacked everytime I ask him a question. Or he finds it annoying, I don’t know.”

Zayn hummed.

“Yeah, I guess I see what you mean. But I’d say it’s more of a Louis problem than a you problem. He just… doesn’t know how to deal with overt friendliness and kindness, sometimes.”

“So I should be less friendly?” Liam asked, perplexed.

“I mean, maybe tone it down a little?”

“Fuck. Okay, I’ll try,” Liam grumbled. That was definitely a new one.

Zayn had finished making the scoops and was putting the box back in the freezer.

“In any case, I’m sure he doesn’t hate you, hon. Don’t worry.”

And somehow that made Liam even _more_ worried.

He’d been waiting to meet Zayn’s best friend pretty much since the two of them had started dating a few months back. Zayn was always talking about Louis, and it was obvious that he’d been a very important person to him ever since they met in primary school. As far as Liam could tell, they were like brothers, and he couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy at the idea. The thing was, he’d never been that close to any of his friends—who were more like mates than anything, really. He’d spent his whole childhood and adolescence moving from city to city all over the UK because of his mother’s job, and as a result he’d never been able to keep a friendship for more than a couple of years. 

And now that he had settled in Bristol for the foreseeable future because he had landed his dream job there, it somehow felt like it was too late to create a lifelong friendship with anyone. But at least he’d found Zayn, and luckily he functioned as an awesome friend on top of being an awesome boyfriend. 

In any case, it had taken a while for Liam to finally meet Louis, and things weren’t exactly going as well as he’d hoped. Zayn had described Louis as loud, flamboyant, funny and confident, and he was definitely all of these things. And Liam, who was more of an introvert himself, or at least was slow at allowing himself to open up to people, didn’t know how to deal with it. He really wanted to make a good impression on Louis, so he was trying his best to overcome his initial shyness and ask him all sorts of questions about his life. But Louis kept evading them, and Liam wasn’t sure why.

Once they finished having dinner, they hung out on Zayn’s couch for a while, distractedly watching footie while talking. Liam, who didn’t know what else to do but be overtly friendly to Louis, decided that maybe it was better to check out from the conversation for now, and he was listening to the two friends reminisce on their college days. When the football game ended, Louis lazily stretched and said:

“Right, guys, I should probably head back home. I have an early start at work tomorrow.”

Liam saw Zayn raise his eyebrow at him, apparently trying to suggest something, and it suddenly clicked:

“Er, do you want me to drive you back? I should probably go home too, actually.”

“Would be nice, yeah But aren’t you staying here for the night?” Louis asked, confused.

Liam did have plans to stay at his boyfriend’s that night, but he didn’t want Louis to think he was going out of his way to drive him back, so he answered:

“No, I have to feed my cat, forgot to do it this morning.” That was a lie, but whatever. At least he _did_ have a cat, but he had actually dropped home during lunch break to feed her, and she’d be fine until the next day.

“Okay, let’s go then,” Louis shrugged, and he hugged Zayn before heading out to the hall to put his shoes on.

“See you tomorrow, babes,” Zayn smirked before kissing Liam, who whispered in his ear: “I’ll be back in a few, wait for me.”

Once they were both in Liam’s car, the silence was uncomfortable, to say the least. Louis was sitting with his feet on the dashboard and the window open, letting his hand fly in the warm August air. _No wonder he's best friends with Zayn_ , Liam thought. The two of them had an aura of unforced coolness, but Zayn was somehow more chill and attainable while Louis just looked… intimidating.

Except for when Louis had given Liam his address so he could put it in his GPS, they hadn’t said a word ever since they’d set off. After about 15 minutes of awkward silence, Liam eventually cleared his throat and asked the first question that came to his mind, desperate to make conversation:

“So… how did you and Zayn meet exactly?”

Louis turned to look at him, and Liam flinched under his somewhat cold stare.

“What, Zayn hasn’t told you? I’m offended, I’ll have to have a word with him.”

Liam genuinely couldn’t tell if Louis was joking or not. He squirmed a little under the pressure.

“No, I mean, he did. Just thought it would be interesting to have your own perspective on it, I guess.”

“Why? Are you conducting some kind of investigation? Want to know if our stories match up or something?”

Liam nervously chuckled, keeping his eyes on the road.

“What? No, of course not.”

He shot a glance at Louis, who raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything else, as if waiting for Liam to explain. _But what's there to explain?_ he thought, half panicking. He only wanted to be friendly, goddammit.

“Just trying to make conversation, that’s all,” he mumbled.

He couldn’t be sure in the bluish half-light of the car, but it seemed like Louis rolled his eyes at his answer.

“Right. Well I’d love to indulge you, but I’m afraid we’re here.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Liam parked on the side of the street in front of Louis’ building, and turned the engine off.

Louis took his feet off the dashboard and unbuckled his seatbelt, not saying a word.

“Well. It was nice to meet you?” Liam said, and he couldn’t help making it sound like a question.

Of course, Louis caught it and smirked.

“Was it? You don’t seem so sure.”

Which was fair. The thing was, Liam actually liked Louis. He’d been extremely funny at dinner, and Liam loved funny people. On top of that, he could tell how much he loved Zayn, which in his book could only be considered an excellent thing. But since Louis himself didn’t seem to like him very much, here he was, not knowing how to assess their first meeting. So in the end, he decided to be frank and answered:

“It was nice for _me_. Guess I’m just wondering if it was nice for _you_.”

“I think I’ll reserve my judgment for later, if you don’t mind,” Louis said, opening the door and getting out of the car. 

“That’s… fine, I guess,” Liam whispered. Then he turned to Louis and only had time to say: “Goodnight, I’m sure I’ll see you soon,” before Louis nodded, slammed the door and walked away without a word.

Liam groaned and put his forehead on the steering wheel, letting himself feel pathetic for a few seconds. Then he took his phone out of his pocket and texted his boyfriend:

_He definitely hates me._

**2**

Three weeks later, he was out at a bar with Zayn, Louis and their mate Tom, who’d known the pair since college.

Liam was still convinced Louis hated him. He’d been pestering Zayn about it every time he’d come back from seeing his best friend, asking if Louis had mentioned him. But his boyfriend would only shrug, in his typical Zayn way.

“He hasn’t said anything. But I swear you don’t have anything to worry about. There’s literally no reason for him to hate you.”

Liam really wished he could take his word for it and let it go. But he had a tendency to overthink everything, especially what other people thought of him. And then he would immediately feel bad about it, because how narcissistic was that? It was like his lack of confidence fueled his sense of self-worth, and vice-versa. A never ending circle of feeling both inferior and superior. He was just desperate to be liked, and even though he was aware of how toxic that mindset could be, he didn’t know how to stop it. And being liked by Louis was the pinnacle of his ambition right now. Not only because he was important to Zayn, but because he was cool, and Liam wanted to be liked by cool people. Because maybe then he’d finally be cool too. 

_It all comes down to being an awkward and lonely teenager all these years ago_ , he thought. But knowing the cause didn’t make the problem go away. 

And right now the problem was that his boyfriend’s best friend didn’t seem to like him. Worse, he wasn’t paying attention to him at all.

Louis and Zayn had been messing about all night, alternatively taking shots, playing darts, and singing along to the bar’s playlist, while Tom had been nice enough to try and make conversation with Liam. He should have been happy that at least one of Zayn’s friends seemed interested in him, but he found it hard to remain focused on Tom, no matter how nice the lad was, because he couldn’t help staring at the two best friends. 

The ease and familiarity between them were so blatant that it somehow hurt him in his guts. Not because he was jealous and wanted Zayn all to himself—he knew that what the two of them had was a different kind of relationship, and he was perfectly content with it. But because he’d never had this kind of connection—this kind of friendship—with anyone. He’d never realised before that it was possible, that people weren’t joking when they were talking about being best friends forever and all that kind of cheesy stuff. And now he was craving it. Craving being close to someone just because you liked them, without expecting anything in return except deep conversations and endless laughs. He just wanted friendship, and somehow these days that was more difficult to find than romance or sex, he thought darkly.

Zayn and Louis eventually came back from their darts game and Louis collapsed on the booth seat next to Tom.

“Jesus, I’m knackered,” he declared to no one in particular.

“Shit, are you serious?” Zayn asked. “I was kind of hoping we could hit the club next.”

“Yeah, that’d be nice!” Tom chimed in.

“I think I’ll pass this time,” Louis mumbled, a little tipsy. “I’m in no state to dance now. I really wanna go to bed and sleep for at least 12 hours. Jus' have to make it home first. Can someone check the bus schedule for me? My phone is dead, I think. Like, dead dead.”

And Liam didn’t know what came over him, but with more force than intended, he said:

“I’ll drive you home. I haven’t drunk all night, might as well take advantage of it.”

“Really?” Zayn and Louis said in unison. “Don’t you want to come to the club with us?” his boyfriend added, frowning a little.

“I’ll join you afterwards,” Liam shrugged. “Come on, Louis, let’s get you home.”

So five minutes later, here they were again in Liam’s car, but now Louis had his feet on the floor and he hadn’t opened the window—the nights had turned quite chilly as soon as September had come.

What hadn’t changed, though, was the uncomfortable silence between them. But this time it was Louis who broke it, to Liam’s surprise.

“I have a feeling you don’t like me very much, Liam,” he declared matter-of-factly.

Liam had to keep himself from chuckling. How ironic was it that _Louis_ should be the one to say this?

“What makes you say that?” he asked.

“Oh, you’re not denying it, I see,” Louis scoffed. Liam was about to contradict him but he continued: “To answer your question, let’s just say I’ve seen the way you’ve been watching me and Zayn tonight, and I think you’re jealous.”

Liam felt his heart race.

“Jealous?” he asked, cringing at the fact that his voice had gone up at least an octave.

“It’s happened before,” Louis muttered.

“Oh.”

Liam thought back on what Zayn had told him about his ex-boyfriend. He had kept it pretty vague, but from what Liam could understand, the guy had been quite the jealous type. And with the new information Louis had just given him, it was easy to connect the dots. Zayn’s ex had probably been envious of Louis, and had maybe even tried to keep them away from each other. 

So Liam thought he finally understood why Louis acted so defensive with him. He was probably just trying to protect Zayn. So, Liam had to set things straight right away, no matter how uncomfortable that conversation might be.

He took a deep breath and started:

“Look, I’m not exactly sure what you’re referring to, but I can only assume it’s about Zayn’s ex. He hasn’t told me too much about him yet, and I want to give him time to do it, so I’m not gonna ask you to explain. But I just want to say, I’m not that guy. If he ever tried to come between the two of you, that’s pretty fucked up, in my opinion, because I can see how happy you make each other, and anyone who would try to ruin that is a jerk, whatever their motives are.”

He glanced at Louis, who was looking straight ahead at the road, his expression unreadable.

“And also, it’s true I was watching you tonight,” Liam continued. “I’m sorry if it was a little creepy. But I swear to you I’m not jealous of you, okay?” He paused, then almost whispered: “If anything, I’m jealous of Zayn.”

And this comment seemed to catch Louis’ attention, as he frowned and turned to look at him.

“Of _Zayn_? Why would you be jealous of Zayn?”

“I just… never had a best friend. Or a close friend, really.” Liam's voice was trembling slightly. It was quite possibly the most embarrassing confession he’d ever made in his life.

“Oh. I didn’t realise. I’m sorry,” Louis replied, his tone finally a little warmer.

Liam shrugged.

“Not your fault.”

“Still. It sucks. You seem… alright. And you deserve to have a close friend. Everyone does.”

Liam coughed, not knowing how to answer Louis’ “compliment”, and wondering if it was just the alcohol speaking. He eventually settled for:

“Well, I have Zayn now. I guess he qualifies as a close friend too. Whether you like it or not.”

“I don’t not like it, if that helps. Not anymore,” Louis said, still watching him, and Liam felt himself blush a little. But the night was so dark that Louis couldn’t possibly have noticed, he reassured himself.

“Oh. That’s good to know,” he answered, trying to keep it cool as he was taking the last turn before reaching Louis’ street.

He parked in front of the building but this time Louis didn’t immediately get out of the car. Instead, he started speaking, looking down at his hands in a serious manner.

“Look. I just love Zayn and I want what’s best for him. I can’t have him get hurt by some kind of asshole again, d’you know what I mean?”

Liam nodded and looked at Louis, who turned his head back to him. Their eyes met and Liam said:

“I understand. But I would never do anything to hurt him. Especially not try to keep you two apart. I just hope you can give me a chance to prove to you how much I love him too.” He tried to keep his voice even, praying that Louis would believe him.

Louis smirked.

“ _Love_. Already using that word after just a few months?”

“Why not?” Liam shrugged. “I don’t want to be scared of admitting I love anyone, especially not the people I love the most. I think if you care about someone, you should just say it. Proclaim it, even. Because they and everybody else deserve to know.”

Louis was searching Liam’s face with thoughtful eyes, visibly struck by what he had just said. But his expression soon turned unreadable, and he said quietly:

“There’s some wise words, Mr. Payne.”

Liam was surprised that Louis even knew his last name. Guess he wasn’t that uninterested in him after all.

“Thanks,” he muttered. “Trying my best.”

There were a few seconds of silence, but it wasn’t as uncomfortable as before.

“Well, thanks for driving me again, Liam,” Louis eventually said. 

“Sure, anytime,” he smiled. “I mean it.”

“Careful, I might take you up on that;” Louis answered cheekily as he opened the door.

“I wouldn’t mind.”

Louis got out of the car and turned back, leaning towards Liam and saying, not quite looking him in the eye: 

“You’re actually quite a decent guy, aren’t ya? I don’t know why you’ve never had any close friends, but we’ll have to remedy that.”

And before Liam could say anything back, Louis winked at him and closed the door.

**3**

Over the next few weeks, things got a little less weird between them. They weren’t exactly friends yet, but Louis was definitely acting less coldly towards Liam. Now, instead of straight-up ignoring him, he’d taken to teasing him constantly, and Liam had decided to consider it progress. 

Louis would make fun of the way he talked or the things he wore, and someone else may have been annoyed with it, but Liam genuinely didn’t mind. It was the first time in his life someone who wasn’t a family member or a partner even bothered noticing his quirks and gently making fun of them. So he laughed gladly and almost gratefully every time it happened, which made Louis frown, as if he didn’t understand how Liam could be putting up with it over and over again, and even enjoy it. 

It became some kind of game between them: everytime they hung out with Zayn and occasionally Tom, Louis kept pushing and pushing, finding increasingly inventive ways to tease him, and Liam just kept laughing harder and harder. Sometimes, Louis seemed to get frustrated with it, as if he was waiting for Liam to finally snap and ask him to stop. 

But Liam never did. He liked the attention. He liked _Louis’_ attention.

One night in early October, he and Zayn drove Louis back home after yet another evening spent at the pub with Tom. As usual, Liam had volunteered to stay sober and be everybody’s driver, and Tom had left the pub a few hours before they did. The three of them had hung out for a while, casually talking while they watched the place get quieter and quieter, until they were the only ones left, and the barmaid told them they had to leave.

Zayn was about to get into the car next to Liam, but Louis pushed him away from the passenger door, mumbling tipsily:

“That’s my seat.”

Zayn, who was drunker than Louis, pouted and started to protest:

“But he’s _my_ boyfriend! What do you need to be in the front for?”

“I have to watch his driving, don’t I? Wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Payne here was a petrolhead. You being right next to him would make him even more reckless, and we can’t risk that, can we?”

“I’ll have you know Liam is the smoothest driver ever,” Zayn grumbled. He’d quickly given in to Louis, though, and was now slouched on the backseat. 

“Oh really, ‘the smoothest’?” Louis scoffed. “Are we still talking about Liam’s driving abilities?”

Liam chuckled and shot a glance at his boyfriend in the rear view mirror. Zayn was blushing and grumpily replied: “Shut up, Lou. Liam doesn’t need to hear those kinds of allusions, thank you very much.”

“Um, excuse me, but I can talk for myself, and I actually don’t mind them,” Liam pointed out cheekily. “Now buckle up, the both of you. I might be a smooth driver, but I won’t put your lives at stake to prove it.”

“How considerate,” Louis smirked, then he turned to Zayn. “See, I told you your boyfriend liked me better than you do. At least _he_ can handle me jokes with grace.”

“Yeah, but he hasn’t been dealing with you for the past 15 years, has he?”

“Maybe not, but you have to be careful, Zaynie. Your position as Louis Tomlinson’s best friend is seriously threatened,” Louis taunted.

“Oh, I think you mean Louis Tomlinson’s best victim, actually. I’ll gladly leave that to Liam.”

“You little shit!” Louis exclaimed, faking outrage.

“ _You’re_ the little shit,” Zayn replied, sticking his tongue out.

“You’re _both_ little shits,” Liam intervened, rolling his eyes and feigning annoyance. “Stop pretending you’re not each other’s platonic soulmates, please.”

“Platonic soulmates,” Louis repeated dreamily. “I like that, don't you, love?” he asked Zayn.

“Yeah. Yeah, I like that,” his friend replied, yawning.

“But Payno, once we know each other better, you can be the little brother I like to make fun of, how about it?” Louis asked, gently patting Liam’s knee.

“Fine by me”, Liam nodded. “Now, can you both shut up? I actually hate driving at night and I could use some silence to focus.”

🚗🚗🚗

When they made it to Liam’s place after dropping Louis off at his flat, Zayn had sobered up a little. As they were about to get into bed, he asked his boyfriend:

“So, should I actually be getting jealous of you and Louis?”

“What do you mean?” Liam asked, a little perplexed.

“He’s been teasing you an awful lot lately. And coming from him, that’s the closest to a love declaration you’ll ever get.”

“Really?” Liam grinned, perking up. 

Zayn rolled his eyes fondly and pressed a kiss to his temple.

“Yep. I think he likes you. And I mean, he basically said as much in the car, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t sure how serious he was. But if you say he likes me, then I’m glad,” Liam whispered, kissing his boyfriend back as they both settled under the sheets. “I really like him too. In a completely platonic way, though. So to answer your question, no, you shouldn’t be jealous. It’s nothing like that.”

“I know,” Zayn laughed. “I was only joking. Louis’ not into people that way, anyway.”

“Oh, really?” Liam said, surprised. “I didn’t know.”

“I mean, he’d talk about it better than me, but yeah, he’s aroace,” Zayn explained. “No unspoken romantic or sexual tension on his part.”

Liam hummed in response. He’d never really thought about it before, but somehow it made sense. Louis had always made it pretty clear he was queer and single, but he’d never expressed any kind interest in anyone, at least not since Liam had known him. And neither he nor Zayn had mentioned any previous relationship on his part. Liam had wondered about it in passing, but he’d assumed Louis wasn’t in the mood to date right now, or that he’d just been through a bad breakup. 

But as he was thinking about it and trying to fit the pieces together, he found that one thing didn’t seem to quite make sense.

“Can I ask you a question?” he ventured, turning on his side to face Zayn.

“Of course, babe. Anything,” his boyfriend answered, lightly stroking his cheek.

“It’s about your ex.”

“Oh.” Zayn was frowning slightly now, but he didn’t stop his caress. “Yeah, shoot.”

“You know when I drove Louis back home the other day? He was a little drunk and I don’t think he meant to do it, but he said something that kind of implied your ex was paranoid about you two.”

“Yeah. Lou told me about it, actually. And don’t worry, I’m not mad at him or you. I’m just glad it allowed you guys to clear the air,” Zayn answered.

“Oh. Good.”

“What was your question, though?” 

Zayn was now stroking Liam’s eyebrows with his fingertips and Liam almost got lost in the touch. He forced himself to stay focused on the conversation for just a few more minutes, even though he was feeling exhausted. So he cleared his throat and asked:

“Well, if Louis is aroace, why would your ex be paranoid about you two? Since nothing romantic or sexual could happen anyway?”

“Because he was a jealous jerk,” Zayn sighed. “And because even though I tried to explain Louis’ sexuality to him countless times, and Louis even tried a few times too, he never understood it. Nor believed it, even. Actually, that’s what was the last straw for me. We were having the same old fight about Louis, and he said something along the lines that his sexuality wasn’t real anyway. That he was making it up or faking it or whatever. So I broke up with him.”

Zayn had dropped his hand from Liam’s forehead and was now lying on his back, staring at the ceiling. Liam bit his lip.

“I’m sorry. That’s such a fucked up thing to say." He was truly liking that guy less and less by the minute. “Does Louis know that’s what happened?”

“No. I didn’t see the point in upsetting him further, he already hated my ex anyway. I just told him it was a long overdue breakup and I should have done it long before. Which I definitely should have.”

“Why… Why do you think you didn’t?” Liam asked hesitantly. He didn’t want to make Zayn feel like he was being interrogated, but it seemed important to know about it. Fortunately, his boyfriend didn’t seem to mind. Turning back on his side to look at Liam in the eye, he seemed almost eager to finally let things off his chest.

“I don’t know,” he started. “I guess it was my first proper relationship, and I was in love with him. At first, that is. And I really enjoyed being with someone, like, the intimacy, you know? So even though I knew he wasn’t the right person for me, and he was honestly quite toxic, I was scared shitless about ending things and being single again. I didn’t know if I could handle it.”

“But then he insulted Louis.”

“Yeah. And I realised I couldn’t be with such an asshole anymore, no matter what I thought I’d be losing by leaving him. All those things, the going out on dates, and the hanging out at his place, and the listening to music together, and the napping in his bed, and the kissing and the sex, they weren’t worth it if they were happening with the wrong person. They weren’t worth it at all. So I was single for a few months, and it wasn’t as bad as I’d expected, but I still missed those things. And then, somehow I bumped into you at the museum, and you were what I was looking for all along. It’s like... I’ve got it all. All these lovely things and the right person to experience them with. I feel so lucky, Li.”

Liam felt himself blush, and answered:

“ _I’m_ the one who’s lucky.”

Zayn blushed as well, and it was quite possibly the prettiest thing Liam had ever seen, especially as they were both lying in bed in the early morning light.

“Thank you for trusting me and telling me about it,” he whispered. “I’m sorry you had to go through this, and I’m proud of you for managing to get out of it.”

“I don’t feel very proud, to be honest,” Zayn admitted. “I can’t believe it took me so long to react and break up with him.”

Liam cradled Zayn’s face in his hands, and looked him in the eye. 

“Look, the important thing is that you did, right? But it’s alright if you don’t feel proud for now. I can be proud of you for the both of us, until you catch up with me, okay?”

“Okay,” Zayn answered with a smile, and they were silent for a few seconds, during which Liam’s mind went back to the beginning of the conversation.

“About Louis, though... Do you think he’s okay with me knowing about his sexuality?”

“Oh yeah, don’t worry. I wouldn’t have told you otherwise. He’s completely out. I guess it just didn’t come up the few times we’ve hung out with him so far. But I’m sure he’d actually appreciate it if you’d shown an interest in it, as long as you don’t ask stupid questions.”

“Okay.”

Liam wasn’t really sure what would qualify as a stupid question, but he promised himself he’d do some research the next day. He’d meant to look up asexuality and aromanticism for a while anyway. 

But right now, he was thoroughly worn-out by the night they’d just had and everything he’d learned in the course of the last few minutes. So after one last kiss to his boyfriend’s soft lips, he snuggled against his chest and fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

**4**

A few days later, Liam was just leaving work and getting into his car when he got a phone call from an unknown number. He frowned. This hardly ever happened, but the number seemed legit. So he picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Liam? It’s Louis.”

“Oh, Louis, hi! Sorry, I didn’t recognise your number. Didn’t remember we exchanged them, actually.”

He was pretty sure they hadn’t.

“No, _I’m_ sorry. I asked Zayn for yours the other day. He probably forgot to mention it.”

“Oh. Er, it’s all good, don’t worry.”

As always when he was talking to Louis, they fell into a somewhat awkward silence. When it became clear that Louis wasn’t willing to carry on with the conversation, Liam asked:

“So, what's up?”

“Oh, right,” Louis said, as if he suddenly remembered he was the one who’d called. “Well, I thought you’d be able to help me with something, but I don’t know, now I realise you’re probably busy. Shit, you must be at work, right? I shouldn’t have called, I’m sorry. And I’m being stupid anyway, I can handle it myself. So I’m gonna hang up now, sorry.” 

He had rushed through those few sentences, sounding embarrassed, and from what Liam knew about him, that was pretty out of character. 

“Wait!” he called. Louis’ tone had made him a little worried. Beyond sounding embarrassed, he’d also sounded upset, almost distraught. “I just got out of work, actually. Managed to leave early today. So, I can help you, if you need. Whatever it is, you can tell me. And I’m sure it’s not stupid,” he said, trying to sound as reassuring as he could.

“Okay. It’s just that… I’m in Bath right now. And I was wondering if you could come pick me up? Because you said you wouldn’t mind if I asked you for a ride again, the other day. But you can say no, of course. I mean, I could take the bus back to Bristol, it‘s no problem. It’s just that something happened and I… Well, I feel like shit,” he punctuated that last sentence with a strangled laugh, and Liam wondered if he was on the verge of tears.

“Hey, hey, Louis, it’s okay. A promise is a promise, so I’ll come right away. Plus, it’s not like I had anything else planned for today, besides hanging out on the couch and waiting for Zayn to be done with his shift. Just text me where you’re at, and I’ll be there before you know it.”

“Are you sure?” Louis asked, and Liam had to strain his ear to hear him. For the first time since they'd met, Louis sounded shy, vulnerable, even.

“Of course, Lou,” Liam said, and he realised too late that maybe they weren’t close enough for him to use that nickname. But he carried on. He was probably overthinking things as always, anyway. “It should take me around 30 minutes to get to Bath, maybe go to a cafe or something in the meantime? Whatever’s happening right now, I’m sure a cup of tea would do you good, right?”

“Yeah. That’s not a bad idea. Okay, I'll text you my location. Thanks, Liam.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you soon.”

🚗🚗🚗

While he was getting out of Bristol and onto the motorway, Liam’s mind went into overdrive, trying to figure out what was happening to Louis. Why was he in Bath on a random Friday afternoon? Why was he “feeling like shit”? Why had he called _Liam_ for help, instead of Zayn or Tom, who he was undeniably closer to? 

He couldn’t even start to guess at the answers so, after five minutes of intense thinking, he gave up, choosing to focus on the heavy raindrops splattering on the windshield instead. 

It was mid-October now, and it felt like it had been raining for weeks on end, but Liam didn’t mind. He’d lived in pretty much every region of the UK, and it had always, always been like that in the fall, no matter where he and his family were at the time. In a way, he’d come to associate home with the rain instead of a specific place.

He made it to Bath just as the downpour stopped and the sky was starting to get dark. Louis had texted him to let him know he was waiting at a cafe in a residential area on the outskirts of the city. 

Liam was about to drive past the shop and go park his car a few blocks further down the road when he noticed Louis sitting on the curb in front of the building. The street was empty, so Liam stopped his car in front of the other man, who had his head down and seemed deep in thought. Liam opened his window.

“Hey, I’m here,” he called softly.

Louis started and looked up. His cheeks looked as damp as the sidewalk he was sitting on, and Liam wasn’t sure if rain or tears were to blame. After looking at Louis’ big sad eyes for a few seconds, he figured it must have been both. 

He cleared his throat, not knowing what to say. He’d always been pretty shit at dealing with other people’s sadness—and his own, for that matter.

“Er, you should get in. I think it’s starting to rain again,” he pointed out, noticing that the sky had turned navy blue to dark grey, and the unmistakable stormy smell was still in the air.

Louis nodded weakly, and got up so abruptly he almost slipped on the wet pavement. He seemed to be beside himself, and it broke Liam’s heart a little. He’d only ever seen the confident, loud, and bright side of Louis so far, but of course it made sense that he would have a somber side as well. He just wondered what had prompted it to take over.

Louis sat next to him and fastened his seatbelt in silence. As Liam was starting the engine again, he finally spoke, extending a cup to Liam:

“I bought you a latte. Sorry, I wasn’t sure how you take your coffee, but I figured a latte was a relatively safe choice.”

“That’s perfect, actually. Thanks,” Liam smiled. “So, should I drive us back to Bristol?”

“I don’t really feel like going home right now, to be honest,” Louis answered a little shakily, rubbing his face with his hands in what seemed to be a nervous gesture.

“That’s fine. How about we just drive around for a while?” Liam offered.

“Yeah, that… that would be nice.”

So for the next twenty minutes or so, Liam drove aimlessly all around Bath, and they didn’t say a word. Louis had turned the radio on and kept switching it from station to station, apparently unable to find one to his taste. Liam suspected it was due to his fidgety state rather than his dissatisfaction with the radio programs. 

Eventually, they drove down a narrow country road that turned out to be a dead-end leading to the Avon river. Liam parked the car so they were facing it. It was fully dark now, but they could distinguish the black water thanks to the weak light beaming from a lamppost standing on the riverbank. 

Liam glanced at Louis, who was staring at the stream while playing with his hands. He turned on the light so they could see each other a little better, then asked softly:

“D’you want to talk about it?”

When Louis didn’t immediately answer, he amended: “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. Just thought I’d offer. We can also call Zayn if you prefer. I think he must be done with work by now.”

“No, I… I was just trying to figure out where to start but… I do want to talk to you about it. Because you’re connected to it, somehow.”

“Oh. How so?”

“Well, remember what you said the last time we were alone in this car?” Louis asked.

“Not really, no. I mean, we both said a lot of stuff,” Liam said, frowning, and still not sure where this was going.

“We did. But there was one thing in particular that stuck with me. You said that when you care about someone, you shouldn’t be afraid to tell them. That they deserve to know you love them.”

Louis’ clear blue eyes were fixed on him now, and somehow it felt like he was holding on to Liam’s own eyes, searching for comfort in them.

“I remember,” Liam replied carefully, sensing that the moment was important. “But I mean, it’s not really a groundbreaking concept, is it?”

“Maybe not. But it’d been a long time since someone had expressed that kind of idea directly to me. And it just reminded me of someone, someone I care deeply about. But I’ve failed to express it to her these past few years, and I’m not even sure she _knows_ anymore.”

“Oh. Who’s she?”

“Well, I don’t know if Zayn told you. Probably not because I guess it’s become a sensitive topic somehow,” Louis winced. “He must think he can’t bring it up to other people. But I have a sister, a twin sister.”

Liam’s instinctive reaction would have been to exclaim: “A twin sister, how cool!” But things definitely sounded complicated, to say the least, so he cautiously answered:

“No, I didn’t know. What’s her name?”

“Matilda. But I’ve always called her Tilly.”

“That’s cute, isn’t it?” Liam tentatively pointed out. “Lou and Tilly.”

“Yeah,” Louis agreed, and for the first time that day, he smiled, but it quickly turned bittersweet. “The thing is, though, we haven’t talked or seen each other in a long time. Like, years. I wanted to see her today, tell her I loved her, just like you’d suggested, but I wasn’t even sure what her address was. Had to look it up in the phone book.”

Liam wasn’t sure what to answer. He had two older sisters, and even though they weren’t extremely close, they still called each other every few weeks. He couldn’t imagine not talking to them for more than a month, or not knowing where they lived. Something serious must have happened for Louis to lose touch with his sister like this, especially his twin sister.

“Can I ask what happened? Did you get into a fight or something?”

“Basically, yeah. It’s kind of a long story.” 

“It’s okay. We have time," Liam answered reassuringly.

Louis looked nervous. Or sad. Liam couldn’t tell.

He took a cigarette out of his chest pocket, absently asking: “D’you mind?” and Liam shook his head. 

Louis opened the window and the cold October air immediately engulfed through it, ruffling his hair a little. He took a few puffs of his cigarette, then started:

“Tilly and I, we were each other’s rocks growing up. I mean, our parents weren’t exactly the best parents in the world. Just… pretty much absent, the both of them. I don’t think they really wanted to have children, to be honest. We always felt like we were the last thing on their mind. They were more interested in their career, their social life, stuff like that. Plus, on the rare times where they were both home, our dad would always pick up fights with our mum for the most stupid shit.”

He took a break and sighed, but Liam felt like he shouldn’t say anything until he was done, so he just let Louis take a moment, before he continued:

“It never really felt like we were a proper family, but I didn’t realise how fucked up our situation was until I met Zayn and saw how much his parents cared about him and his sisters. But thankfully, Tilly and I… we were always there for each other. Took care of each other. I had no other choice but to rely on her, and vice-versa. 

Then our parents finally got a divorce when we were 15, and our dad moved to the US for work. We hardly heard from him after that. I was fine with it, pretty relieved, to be honest, but I think it hit Tilly quite hard. He’d basically abandoned us. And that’s when she and I started to grow apart a little, I think. I didn’t understand why she cared so much, and she didn’t understand why I cared so little. 

And I guess we were both growing up too. Had different groups of friends, different interests and whatnot. Also, it took me a while to figure out what my sexuality was, and Zayn helped me a lot with it. So when I eventually came out to her, I think she was hurt that Zayn had known before her. And that’s when we had our first real fight. I told her it wasn’t about her, and that I didn’t owe her anything, but all she saw was that I’d trusted Zayn first rather than her, and I guess her pride was hurt. And since we’re _both_ very proud, neither of us apologised, and we never really recovered from that argument. We were still talking to each other, but it was pretty cold. Then it kind of went downhill from there. 

She somehow reconnected—or I should say, connected—with our dad. I’m not sure how it happened. One day we were both on the same page about how he was pretty much a jerk and we were better off without him, and the next day she was telling me that actually, he wasn’t that bad, and begging me to give him another chance. And I refused. He hadn’t even reached out to me directly, we hadn’t talked in years, so why would I have wanted any kind of relationship with him, y’know? I tried to explain it to her, tell her that it was her right to want to be in his life, but she shouldn’t expect me to be involved with it. She got defensive, so I got defensive, and we got into the biggest argument we’d had yet.” 

He sighed again, but Liam could sense he wasn’t quite finished with the story yet, and that the worst part was ahead.

“We both said some fucked up shit to one another. Things that went beyond what the argument was supposed to be about. Things you know will hurt the other person’s self-esteem. I still blame myself for some of the stuff I said. I didn’t even mean the majority of it, just wanted to upset her as much as she upset me, I guess. I don’t even remember how that fight ended. All I know is she stormed out of my flat without saying goodbye, and we haven’t talked to each other since then.”

He fell into silence, a little out of breath. Liam chanced a look at him. His hand that was holding the cigarette was shaking a little against the windowsill, but that was the only sign that revealed he was emotional. The tears from earlier had disappeared from his eyes, as if he had run out. He looked exhausted.

“I’m so sorry,” Liam whispered. “I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to go through all that. And how much you must miss her.”

Louis nodded, and his lips started trembling. Maybe he wasn’t out of tears, actually.

“I do miss her,” he said, and Liam could tell he was trying his best to keep an even voice, but not quite managing to. He gently patted Louis’ knee, and to his surprise Louis grabbed his hand and didn’t let go of it for the next few minutes, as he resumed his story. Now that he had started recounting it, it seemed like it had unlocked something in him, like the words were flowing out of him.

“I miss her so much. And I know it could be ten times worse, because I have Zayn, and he’s pretty much my brother. But still… I think about Tilly all the time. All these years, I’ve always wondered how she’s doing, what kind of job she has now, whether she’s dating anyone, that sort of stuff... 

But mostly, I’ve wondered whether there was a way to make it right, even after all this time. Whether it could be Tilly and me against the world again. But I always thought it was too late, you know? And the longer I waited, the more difficult it got. Plus I kept telling myself, why should I be the one to reach out first? That fucking Tomlinson pride, it’s gonna be the end of me,” he chuckled bitterly. 

“Anyway, I had pretty much given up on all of that, until you came along with your sappy take that you should just tell the people you love that you love them. And the way you said it, it just sounded so simple, you know? Like all I had to do was pick up the phone, tell her I missed her, and that would be it. We’d start again, she’d be my sister again, and… everything would be okay. 

But of course, it’s not that simple. Because I tried calling her, but I didn’t even have the right number anymore. So as I said, I had to look her address up. I had to look up my own sister’s address, because we’d basically become strangers, and I had no idea what she’d been doing with her life all that time. For all I knew, she could have moved to the US to be with our dad. 

But then, I found out that she wasn’t living that far away. She’s right here in Bath, like, only 30 minutes away from my own place. And I don’t know if that makes it better or worse, actually, the fact that she was so close all this time, and we could have easily run into each other. 

Anyway, it took me a few weeks to work up the courage to do it, but I finally took the afternoon off, and I decided to come here today, to try and talk to her and tell her I was sorry for everything. Hopefully, she’d want me in her life again. 

That’s not what happened, though. I knocked at her door and she opened, and she looked so surprised to see me. For a second I thought it was a good kind of surprised, you know? Maybe she was happy that I was here. But then, her face fell and she shook her head. She told me to go, told me that she couldn’t speak to me. And I don’t know, I guess I could have fought, I could have tried to convince her, but I was so disappointed, and sad, and upset. 

I just wanted to get out of there as fast as I could, so I almost ran out of her building and started walking back to the station. But then it started raining and I had some kind of breakdown in the middle of the street. I hardly knew where I was, and I needed to speak to someone, so I called you. I’m sorry, I totally forgot you must have been at work or something, and we hardly know each other, and I know it’s weird… I just… I didn’t want to worry Zayn, but I realise it’s unfair to you too…” 

His voice broke for the first time, and Liam squeezed his hand a little tighter, whispering:

“Hey, hey, it’s all good. I told you, I was done with work anyway, and you’re welcome to call me anytime, okay? I don’t mind, really. I want to be your friend, Lou, I mean it. And that means being here for you through thick and thin. There’s nothing unfair about it, and you’re allowed to ask for help, especially from your friends, okay?”

Louis sniffed a little and nodded.

“Now, do you need a hug?” Liam continued.

“Yeah, that would be nice, actually, if you don’t mind,” Louis answered a little timidly.

“Of course I don’t mind,” Liam said, putting his arms around Louis’ narrow frame. After a couple of seconds, Louis returned his hug, and they stayed like that for a moment, like they were suspended in time while raindrops could be heard falling down on the roof, and cold air was still engulfing through the open window, making them both shiver.

“I promise we’ll find a solution, okay?” Liam said as quietly as he could, so quietly he was afraid Louis might not hear him, but he felt him nod against his shoulder. “Maybe Tilly was so surprised to see you that her first instinct was to escape the situation, you know? ‘Cause she didn’t know how to deal with it. But I think you should try again, maybe get her number first so that she knows you’re coming, and she’s better prepared for it. Or you can also send her a letter. I know it’s old school, but that way you’d be able to say everything you have to say on your own terms, and without interference. But whatever happens, I swear it’s gonna be alright. I’m here for you, and Zayn’s here for you, and we’ll help you get through it no matter what, okay? You don’t have to do this on your own.”

“Okay,” Louis said simply, and they split away. He sniffed again, then chanced a look at Liam, shooting him a sincere smile.

“Thank you. You’re quite a cool guy, really.”

Liam’s heart fluttered a little in his chest at the compliment, and he tried to keep his mouth from grinning too widely, not quite managing to.

“You’re a cool guy too. The coolest. Shit, don’t tell Zayn I said that, he’d get jealous,” he added in a rush, chuckling. “Anyway, should we go home, pick him up, and have dinner all together?”

“Yeah. Yeah, okay, let’s do that”, Louis nodded, smiling, and Liam turned the engine back on and started to make a U-turn.

**5**

“So, you’re sure you’re okay with this?” Liam asked Zayn as he was settling into his car.

“Of course, why would I not be okay with you and Louis going on a day trip to the beach?” Zayn frowned.

“I don’t know, I thought you might get jealous, maybe?”

“And in that scenario, would I be jealous of you, or of Louis?”

There was a beat.

“Good point,” Liam chuckled.

“Look, babe, stop worrying over nothing,” Zayn said, pressing a kiss on his cheek before closing the car door and leaning to talk to him through the window. “I’m really happy my two favourite people are properly bonding and spending some quality time together, okay? Now go, you don’t wanna be late to pick him up, ‘cause you’ll never hear the end of it otherwise. I’ll see you both tonight for drinks, yeah?”

“Yep, can’t wait. Love you!”

“Love you too. You guys have fun!”

Five minutes later, Liam was pulling in front of Louis’ building. He was already waiting for him and got into the car with a grin on his face.

“Someone looks happy,” Liam pointed out.

“Well, I can’t wait to go to the beach, it’s been way too long.”

“Me too. Don’t get your hopes up, though, it might be a little bleak with it being the middle of November and all.”

“I don’t care, as long as there’s fish and chips, I’m good. Also, I have some pretty exciting news.”

“Oh, really?” Liam raised an eyebrow, starting the car and getting into traffic.

“Yep.”

“Well, shoot, lad, don’t keep me waiting.”

“I called Tilly yesterday.”

“Oh. Oh wow! That’s amazing, Lou. I mean, I assume it went well, then?”

“Yeah. I told her I was sorry for showing up at her place unannounced the other day, and she apologised for the way she reacted, and said that she’d like for us to talk.”

“Tommo, that’s awesome!”

“Yeah, I mean, it’s just the beginning, you know? I’m gonna go back to Bath sometime next week, and have coffee with her or something. I’m trying to keep my expectations low, this time. It’d be nice to just get the chance to catch up a little, and maybe start setting some things right. But I think it’s best to take it slow for now.”

“I feel like that’s a wise decision,” Liam nodded. “Well, I’m so happy for you, really. Maybe it’s only the first step, but that’s still very exciting.”

“Yeah, it is. And thanks, Li. For everything.”

Liam shrugged:

“I didn’t do much, to be honest.”

“No, you did. Like, you’ve been so kind to me from day one, even when I was unpleasant to you. And also, you give amazing advice.”

“It’s alright, I guess. Gotta admit I’ve had years of practice with my sisters. There was always drama in their life, and for some reason they seemed to think their little brother was the most qualified person to help.”

“Yeah, because, once again, you’re a wise guy.”

“I don’t know if I’m wise,” Liam blushed. “Just try to be level-headed, I guess.”

“You and Zayn… you’re very similar in that way,” Louis pondered.

“So, are you saying he and I are a good match?”

“I think you’re a perfect match, actually,” Louis chuckled, before turning more thoughtful. “And on that note, I wanted to tell you something.”

“Sounds serious. Should I be worried?” Liam frowned.

“Nah. It’s just that… well, you know, about me being pretty rude to you when we first met… I told you it was because of how I was suspicious of you due to Zayn’s ex, but actually, that’s not all there was to it.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah… The other reason was that… Well, I think Zayn told you about me being aroace, right?”

“Yes, he told me a few weeks ago,” Liam admitted. “Sorry, I didn’t know if I should bring it up to you.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry. That’s not really what I want to talk to you about. I mean, we can talk about it later if you have questions or something. But my point was that, because I’m a-spec, I’m probably gonna stay single, like… forever. And I’m not saying it’s a problem for me or anything. I’ve made my peace with it and actually, I think I’d be way more miserable with a partner than without, no matter how much of a good 'fit' they might be. 

But because of that, I’ve always relied on my friends a lot, especially Zayn, and especially after things went south with Tilly. I mean, he’s my go-to person whenever something happens, d’you know what I mean? Or not even, sometimes we just call each other when neither of us has anything interesting to say, just because we’d rather talk about nothing than not talk at all. 

So when he started dating you, I was worried about him having too much on his plate with his overbearing best friend and his new boyfriend, you know? I thought I’d have to distance myself from him a little bit, so as not to overwhelm him. And it made me pretty sad, obviously. At first, I thought this new guy might be just like the last one, and he’d be easy to resent, but then I met you and you turned out to be the complete opposite. So, I don’t know, I guess I was taken aback, and I was the one to be jealous, in the end. Not jealous of the whole physical or romantic aspect, of course, but more like, of you being Zayn’s new centre of attention, you know?”

He sent him an apologetic look, and Liam gave him a reassuring smile, taking his time to answer.

“Hmm. I understand,” he eventually said.“It’s alright if you feel that way, obviously, but I think maybe you’re worrying too much. Like, just because Zayn and I are dating doesn’t mean I’ve magically become the most important person in his life, and vice-versa. Because, as cheesy as it might sound, I think we all have enough space in our hearts to have several of these people in our lives. People in our families, friends, partners… It’s not really a matter of degree, but more like, the nature of your relationship with them, I guess. I don't think I love Zayn more than my sisters, for example. And I think I’m pretty close to loving you quite a lot too.”

Louis bit his lip and a grin appeared on his face, but he seemed too shy to acknowledge Liam’s last comment, which Liam was actually thankful for. He didn’t know what had pushed him to be so frank. Guess he’d been following his own advice on that one. He began to internally freak out about it, but Louis’s voice interrupted his swirling thoughts:

“Yeah, I definitely agree. I’ve been thinking the exact same thing my whole life, but… You never know what other people might think about all that, you know, because so many of them put romantic relationships on a pedestal. And I was afraid you’d be one of these people, so I guess I was prepared to back away, and that made me quite miserable, to be honest. That’s why I was acting like a jerk at first. But then I got to know you better, and I realised you were pretty great, and you’d probably understand. And apparently, you understand way better than most people do.”

Liam hummed and, without taking his eyes off the road, he took his chance and said:

“Maybe it’s because I’m a-spec too.”

There was a beat where all he could hear was his heart racing in his ears, then Louis asked:

“Wait, are you serious?”

Liam shrugged.

“Maybe? I mean, I never considered it before, but when Zayn told me about you, I did some research, and there were some things I related to, so I don’t know… I guess that’s a possibility. I haven’t told Zayn yet, because… I guess things are still a little blurry and new right now.”

“Oh. Well that’s understandable,” Louis nodded. “It took me months to find which labels I was comfortable with, so it’s normal if you don't figure it out right away. Plus you don’t even have to do it if you don’t want to. But you shouldn’t be afraid to tell Zayn about it. He was really supportive when I went through all that. And obviously, if you ever want to talk about it with me, I’d be happy to help.”

Liam felt a wave of relief at finally telling someone about it, and he was grateful that Louis hadn’t made a big deal out of it. He himself didn’t feel like it was _that_ important. It was just a potential new layer to his identity, and he was definitely glad to know about it now, as it explained a few things about himself he’d been struggling to understand in the past. But he didn’t want to make it something more dramatic than it needed to be.

He smiled, and said:

“Thanks, Lou.”

“I mean it, Liam. Anytime,” Louis answered, looking at him earnestly. “You’ve done so much for me already, and I’d love to return the favour to you if I can. Because we’re proper friends now, and I hope you know that.” He paused for a second, then resumed speaking with a lower voice: “My biggest fear when I met you was that I’d lose my best friend, but instead I feel like I’ve just gained another one. So yeah, guess I’m pretty close to loving you quite a lot too.”

Liam couldn’t help feeling like he’d won or achieved something big, and to be fair, he had. He grinned and stole a quick glance at Louis, who was just doing the same thing, and they both snorted and put their eyes back on the road.

Neither of them said anything for the next few minutes, but Liam was happy to just be driving beside Louis, taking him somewhere once again. This time, though, he was actually driving the _both_ of them, because they’d decided to hang out together, and he’d finally made it as Louis’ friend.

Just as they were reaching the coast and starting to drive along the deserted beach, trying to find a fish and chips stall so they could park right next to it and possibly eat in the car—it had just started raining—Louis cleared his throat and said:

“Oh, by the way, about me calling Tilly and all… I haven’t told Zayn about it yet, but I’ll do it tonight.”

“Well, I’m honoured you told me first,” Liam answered.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Payno,” Louis scoffed. “It’s only because I saw you today before I saw Zee.”

“Whatever you say, Tommo. I know I’m your new favourite.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> Kudos/comments/[reblogs](https://quelsentiment.tumblr.com/post/643115629673660416/bad-luck-to-talk-on-these-rides-by-wordsnnotes) are always much appreciated 💕


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